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Watch live as Nasa’s asteroid exploration mission Lucy launches in Florida
Nasa has launched a new asteroid mission today to study two large clusters of space rocks around Jupiter, with hopes that the spacecraft’s work will shed light on some of the mysteries of our solar system.
The Lucy mission, named after a fossilised human ancestor whose skeleton gave insight into human evolution, is set to explore a record-breaking number of asteroids over the next 12 years.
Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, which have been described as “the fossils of planet formation”, could help to reveal information about how our solar system’s planets formed 4.5 billion years ago and why they ended up in their current configuration.
NASA has said that no other single mission has been designed to visit as many different objects independently orbiting the sun in the history of space exploration.
You can watch the moment below when the Lucy probe successfully launched this morning:
Conrad Duncan16 October 2021 10:42
BREAKING: Nasa’s Lucy spacecraft has successfully launched into the sky from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida this morning to begin its 12-year quest to explore Jupiter’s asteroids.
Conrad Duncan16 October 2021 10:39
What is the Lucy mission aiming to do?
Nasa’s Lucy probe is a first-of-its-kind mission that aims to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids in the hope that the two clusters of space rocks can provide clues to how our solar system’s planets formed.
Lucy will be hurled into space this morning on a 12-year expedition to explore the Trojans, which are named after the warriors of Greek mythology.
Scientists hope the mission’s close-up fly-by of seven Trojans will yield new clues to how the solar system’s planets came to be formed some 4.5 billion years ago and what shaped their present configuration.
Nasa says that the asteroids are believed to be rich in carbon compounds and may even provide new insights into the origin of organic materials and life on Earth.
Conrad Duncan16 October 2021 10:35
Watch live as Nasa’s asteroid exploration mission Lucy launches in Florida
Nasa’s Lucy mission to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroid belts is set to lift off within minutes from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida this morning.
The mission marks the most extensive asteroid exploration by Nasa to date – and hopes to gather data that will offer new insights into the early formation of the solar system.
You can watch the launch live below:
Watch live as Nasa’s asteroid exploration mission Lucy launches in Florida
Nasa’s Lucy mission to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroid belts is lifting off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Saturday (16 October), as it seeks to explore a swarm of asteroids that orbit the Sun near the gas giant Jupiter.The Lucy mission marks the most extensive asteroid exploration by Nasa to date – and hopes to gather data that will offer new insights into the early formation of the solar system.Sign up to our free newsletters by clicking here
Conrad Duncan16 October 2021 10:30
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of NASA’s Lucy mission launch.
Conrad Duncan16 October 2021 10:21
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